Blessing of Torah.
Bar’chu et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”)
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah.)
The title of this parasha “b’ha’alotcha” stems from
the Hebrew word “alah” which means to ascend or “to go up.” In its hiphyl form
it means that which causes to go up or ascend. It is the light of His
Revelation that causes us to ascend.
Isa 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come! And
the esteem of יהוה has risen upon you.
Isa 60:2 “For look, darkness covers the earth, and
thick darkness the peoples. But יהוה
arises over you, and His esteem is seen upon you.
Isa 60:3 “And the gentiles shall come to your light1,
and sovereigns to the brightness of your rising. Footnote: 1Isa.
60:19,20, Rev. 21:23,24.
Isa 60:4 “Lift up your eyes all around and see: all of
them have gathered, they have come to you; your sons come from afar, and your
daughters are supported on the side.
Isa 60:5 “Then you shall see and be bright, and your
heart shall throb and swell, for the wealth of the sea is turned to you, the
riches of the gentiles come to you.
Num 8:2 “Speak to Aharon, and say to him, ‘When you
set up the lamps, let the seven lamps give light in front(Heb word “mul” also
means to circumcise) of the lampstand.’
ב דַּבֵּר, אֶל-אַהֲרֹן,
וְאָמַרְתָּ, אֵלָיו: בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ, אֶת-הַנֵּרֹת, אֶל-מוּל פְּנֵי
הַמְּנוֹרָה, יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת הַנֵּרוֹת.
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2 'Speak
unto Aaron, and say unto him: When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps
shall give light in front of the candlestick.'
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No dimensions are ever given
of the size of the menorah, because how can anyone measure the revelation of
YHVH. We do know it was made form one talent of gold (about 50 kg) so it could
not have been so difficult to kindle its lamps. (Shemot 25:31-40)
“Be ha a lot cha” contains an infinitive Hebrew verb which in this Torah
portion comes with a preposition (“b’”- “when”) and a second person masculine
personal pronoun suffix (cha). An infinitive verb has no limits with regard to
person. Gender, number or tense, it does not need to agree grammatically with
any other word in the sentence.
YHVH knew that the Temple and the
Levitical system would be temporary suspended. So He appointed “priests” from
the nations, however He would always have dedicated and gifted men and woman
who would keep the knowledge of His covenant alive – see Yer 33:20,21. He would
take priests from the nations - Isa 66:21
“And from them too I shall take for priests – for Lĕwites,” declares יהוה.
The Torah has so much to teach His
people and the nations. An appointed priesthood has always been called for this
purpose.
The Torah teaches us in a parable
that Yosef provided bread – seed – for the nations. Will this repeat itself
again in the last days? Remember Yosef was not a Levite, but kept the Spirit of
all that belongs to Yisrael alive.
Amo 8:11 “See, days are coming,” declares the Master יהוה, “that I shall send a hunger in the land,
not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Words of יהוה.
Amo 8:12 “And they shall wander from sea to sea, and
from north to east – they shall diligently search, seeking the Word of יהוה, but they shall not find it1.
Footnote: 1Jer. 5:13, Hos. 8:12, Ezek. 34:3-10.
Why will the Word be so scarce?
Spiritual leaders are teaching their own doctrine and not the Torah the way it
was meant to be taught.
Joh 7:15 And the Yehuḏim were marvelling, saying,
“How does this Man know letters, not having learned?”
Joh 7:16 יהושע
answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.1
Footnote: 1Deut. 18:15-20.
Joh 7:17 “If anyone desires to do His desire, he shall
know concerning the teaching, whether
it is from Elohim, or whether I speak from Myself.
Joh 7:18 “He who speaks from himself is seeking his
own esteem, but He who seeks the esteem of the One who sent Him is true, and no
unrighteousness is in Him.
Joh 7:19 “Did not Mosheh give you the Torah? Yet not
one of you does the Torah!1 Why do you seek to kill Me?” Footnote: 1See
Mt. 5:20.
Pro 4:2 For I gave you good instruction: Do not
forsake my Torah.
How many spiritual leaders today
equate good doctrine with Torah?
But for the doctrine to be good one
needs the revelation of YHVH’s Ruach – symbolized in the lighting of the
Menorah.
Maybe “Be ha a lot cha” (hipyl infinitive) implies
that we can only truly return to the ways of YHVH and His Torah when the light
of His Ruach (symbolized in the Menorah)
“lifts us up” to a spiritual realm where we can see as we ought to see
and hear as we ought to hear. This reminds us prophetically of the seven fold
Ruach Ha Kodesh “lifting up” Messiah in Isaiah 11 – also a symbol of the
Menorah.
Isa 11:2 The Spirit of יהוה
shall rest upon Him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of
counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of יהוה,
This Torah portion when completed in the annual cycle( the One Year Torah
cycle) strategically follows “Shavuot” also known as “Pentecost” and once again
implies that the Ruach Ha Kodesh has been poured out to reveal the Father and
His Son and His Torah and to show us “the way of return.”
Note the “light” symbolic of YHVH’s Ruach that comes from YHVH, will
always return to honour YHVH.
Maybe this explains why so many devout Jews without the revelation
of Yahshua Ha Moshiach resort to the
deception of “kabbala” to receive a “deeper” understanding of YHVH and His
ways.
Menorah – Levites – Pesach.
Num 8:1 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 8:2 “Speak to Aharon, and say to him, ‘When you
set up the lamps, let the seven lamps give light in front of the lampstand.’ ”
Num 8:3 And Aharon did so. He set up the lamps to
face toward the front of the lampstand, as יהוה
commanded Mosheh.
Num 8:4 And this is the work of the lampstand: beaten
work of gold, from its base to its blossoms it is beaten work. According to the
pattern which יהוה had shown Mosheh, so
he made the lampstand.
Num 8:5 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 8:6 “Take the Lĕwites from among the children of
Yisra’ĕl, and you shall cleanse them,
Num 8:7 and do this to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle
water of sin offering on them, and
they shall shave all their body, and shall wash their garments, and cleanse
themselves,
Num 8:8 and shall take a young bull with its grain
offering of fine flour mixed with oil, while you take another young bull as a
sin offering.
Why should such a thorough cleansing take place? When
an appointed priesthood is “elevated” by the Ruach to see things as YHVH sees
them, they will be deeply impacted by the defilement of everything else that
does not come from YHVH. This priesthood must be pure before YHVH as they will
intercede and represent the people of YHVH to YHVH. (Lev 10:10)
Num 8:9 “And you shall bring the Lĕwites before the
Tent of Meeting, and you shall assemble all the congregation of the children of
Yisra’ĕl.
Num 8:10 “And you shall bring the Lĕwites before יהוה, and the children of Yisra’ĕl shall lay
their hands on the Lĕwites,
This refers to the law of transference …of blessings
as well as iniquities. The priest would both bring blessing as well as bear the
burden of the sins of the people before YHVH.
Num 8:11 and Aharon shall wave the Lĕwites before יהוה,
a wave offering from the children of Yisra’ĕl – so shall they be for doing the
service of יהוה.
Num 8:12 “And the Lĕwites shall lay their hands on the
heads of the young bulls. And one shall be prepared as a sin offering and the
other as a burnt offering to יהוה, to make atonement
for the Lĕwites.
Num 8:13 “And you shall have the Lĕwites stand before
Aharon and his sons, and then wave them, a wave offering to יהוה.
Num 8:14 “Thus you shall separate the Lĕwites from
among the children of Yisra’ĕl, and the Lĕwites
shall be Mine.
Num 8:15 “Then after that the Lĕwites shall go in to
do service in the Tent of Meeting, when you have cleansed them and waved them
as a wave offering.
Num 8:16 “For
they are given ones, given to Me from among the children of Yisra’ĕl. I
have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the first-born of
all the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 8:17 “For all the first-born among the children of
Yisra’ĕl are Mine, both man and beast. On the day that I smote all the
first-born in the land of Mitsrayim I set them apart unto Myself.
Num 8:18 “And I have taken the Lĕwites instead of all
the first-born of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 8:19 “And I have given the Lĕwites as a gift to
Aharon and his sons from among the children of Yisra’ĕl, to do the service of the
children of Yisra’ĕl in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Yisra’ĕl, that there be no plague among the
children of Yisra’ĕl when the children of Yisra’ĕl come near the set-apart
place.”
Num 8:20 Thus Mosheh and Aharon and all the
congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl did to the Lĕwites according to all
that יהוה commanded Mosheh concerning the Lĕwites,
so the children of Yisra’ĕl did to them.
Num 8:21 And the Lĕwites cleansed themselves and
washed their garments, and Aharon waved them, a wave offering before יהוה, and Aharon made atonement for them to
cleanse them.
Num 8:22 Then after that the Lĕwites went in to do
their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aharon and his sons as יהוה commanded Mosheh concerning the Lĕwites,
so they did to them.
Num 8:23 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 8:24 “This applies to the Lĕwites: From
twenty-five years old and above let him come into active service in the service
of the Tent of Meeting,
Num 8:25 and at the age of fifty years they retire
from active service of the service, and serve no more,
Num 8:26 but they shall attend with their brothers in
the Tent of Meeting, to guard the duty, but shall do no service. Thus you shall
do to the Lĕwites regarding their duties.”
Num 9:1 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of
Mitsrayim, (this was the secind time and last time since they left
Mitsrayim, that they kept Pesach and the other Appointments untill they came to
Gilgal ( Yahushua/Joshua 5:10) ) saying,
Num 9:2 “Now, let the children of Yisra’ĕl perform
the Passover at its appointed time.
Num 9:3 “On the fourteenth day of this month, between
the evenings, perform it at its appointed time. According to all its laws and
right-rulings you perform it.”
Num 9:4 And Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl
to perform the Passover.
Num 9:5 So they performed the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the first month, between the evenings, in the Wilderness of
Sinai. According to all that יהוה commanded Mosheh, so
the children of Yisra’ĕl did.
Num 9:6 But
there were men who were defiled for a being of a man, so that they were not
able to perform the Passover on that day. So they came before Mosheh and Aharon
that day,
Num 9:7 and those men said to him, “We are defiled
for the being of a man. Why are we
withheld from bringing near the offering of יהוה at its appointed time among the children of Yisra’ĕl?”
Num 9:8 And Mosheh said to them, “Wait, let me hear
what יהוה commands concerning you.”
Num 9:9 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 9:10 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying,
‘When any male of you or your generations is unclean1 for a being,
or is far away on a journey, he shall still perform the Passover of יהוה. Footnote: 1Defilement can be
imparted from one to another.
Num 9:11 ‘On the fourteenth day of the second month, between the evenings,
they perform it – with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they eat it. (This is
called Pesach Sheni. “Sheni” means “second”)
Num 9:12 ‘They do not leave of it until morning, and
they do not break a bone of it. According to all the laws of the Passover they
perform it.
Unless you have a revelation of the true Messiah you
bring defilement upon yourself when you partake of the Passover. That is why
Paul says you must examine yourself before partaking of Pesach – (1 Cor 11)- Its not about “Holy Communion.”
Maybe all of us will need to make use of Pesach
sheni (Pesach in the Second Month if you were defiled in the First
Month at the Appointed Time) in the last days.
Joh 6:53 יהושע
therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Aḏam and drink His blood, you possess no life in yourselves.
Joh 6:54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood
possesses everlasting life, and I shall raise him up in the last day.
Joh 6:55 “For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is
truly drink.
Joh 6:56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood
stays in Me, and I in him.
Num 9:13 ‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and has failed to perform the Passover (
that is in the First Month at the Appointed Time), that same being shall be
cut off from among his people, because he did not bring the offering of יהוה at its appointed time – that man bears his
sin.
Num 9:14 ‘And when a stranger sojourns among you, then
he shall perform the Passover of יהוה.
He shall do so according to the law of the Passover and according to its
right-ruling. You have one law, both for the stranger and the native of the
land.’ ”
Num 9:15 And on the day that the Dwelling Place was raised up, (hiphyl verb to lift up)the cloud covered the Dwelling Place, the
Tent of the Witness. From evening until morning it was above the Dwelling Place
like the appearance of fire.
Num 9:16 Thus it was continually: the cloud covered it
by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
Num 9:17 And whenever the cloud was taken up from
above the Tent, after that the children of Yisra’ĕl would depart. And in the
place where the cloud dwelt, there the children of Yisra’ĕl would camp.
Num 9:18 At the command of יהוה
the children of Yisra’ĕl departed, and at the command of יהוה they camped. They remained camped as long as the cloud dwelt
above the Dwelling Place.
Num 9:19 Even when the cloud lingered many days above
the Dwelling Place, the children of Yisra’ĕl guarded the Charge of יהוה, and did not depart.
Num 9:20 And so it was, when the cloud was above the
Dwelling Place a few days: according to the command of יהוה they camped, and according to the command of יהוה they would depart.
Num 9:21 And so it was, when the cloud dwelt only from
evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they
departed. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they
departed.
Num 9:22 Whether two days, or a month, or a year that
the cloud lingered above the Dwelling Place to dwell upon it, the children of
Yisra’ĕl camped, and did not depart. But when it was taken up, they departed.
Num 9:23 At the command of יהוה
they camped, and at the command of יהוה
they departed. They guarded the Charge of יהוה,
at the command of יהוה by the hand of
Mosheh.
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech
ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch
atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you YHVH, our
Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have
planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the
Torah – Ameyn)